Uncle of North Korean leader executed as 'traitor'

5:18 PM,
Dec. 12, 2013

Jang Song Thaek attends a meeting in Beijing on August 14.(Photo: Li Xin, AP)

Written by

Michael Winter, USA TODAY

The powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been executed as a "traitor for all ages," the official news agency reported.

Jang Song Thaek faced a special military tribunal Thursday and was convicted of "anti-party, counter-revolutionary factional acts" in a bid to overthrow the the communist country's leadership, KCNA reported Friday in Pyongyang. The state news agency did not say when or how Jang was killed.

North Korean media reported Monday that Jang had been purged for crimes that included faction-building, corruption, drug use and womanizing. He was considered the ...